Stories to Watch: 5/9/13

Mayors Against Illegal Guns announces Mothers Day rallies in eight states to protest gun violence on Friday and Saturday. The rallies will focus on "Mothers, children, and others who have been affected by gun violence." Expect armed goons to show up to at least one of these, because if there's anything the gun nuts really lack, it's class and an eye for good PR.


20% of kids and teens at risk for suicide say there's a gun in their home. It would seem to be the most obvious thing in the world to get rid of the guns if you have a suicidal kid, but some people just seem to love their firearms more than anything. Today's "Responsible Gun Owner" stat.


After a co-author of an anti-immigrant "study" (it was BS propaganda, hence the quotes) is outed as a racist, the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation goes into damage control mode. Bet they're super-happy they hired a rightwing nutjob like Jim DeMint to run the place, because that seems to be working out pretty much as expected.


Minnesota is almost certain to become the 12th state to recognize same sex marriages.


Politico begins experimenting with a metered paywall.


Top homophobic lunatic Bryan Fischer comes within inches of admitting he has "gay impulses" in an interview with Alan Colmes.


Norm Orenstein on the idea that Washington is broken because Obama won't practice some magical form of "leadership" that turns obstinate Republican extremists into agreeable moderates interested in legislating.


Finally, Republican Senators vote to waste"tens of billions of dollars" on a border security scheme that seems more the result of a need to grandstand than of any amount of informed study. That's your "fiscal conservatism" for you -- throw money at something in order to win votes from low-information voters.


[cartoon via US News]